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Even the younger generations have difficulties keeping up with technology trends, so it's no surprise their parents sometimes struggle too.
TikTok user @alij4l got interested in the funny ways this manifests and has been collecting unintentionally unsettling messages moms and dads sent their kids.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
AlienatedCheeseStick 1 year ago
See that’s where you train your dog that they need to get up after you say a certain phrase! My mom just says “Alright Russell” and our Shih Tzu jumps right down
Carla Phillips 1 year ago
So, my wifi crapped out for a minute and when I got to this entry, it was just a blank space, no pic or Screenshot and I thought, omg this is hilarious. This person's mom sent them a blank text and the commenter is appreciating the hilarity. Then I scroll and the next one is blank and the next one and so on and I realize that I'm an idiot and the page stopped loading
Comedy Clumbers 1 year ago
My reply to ANYONE texting that to me at work would be, "I'VE CALLED 911 AND THEY SAY S.W.A.T. IS BEING NOTIFIED." and then watch. Back when triceratops roamed the Earth, as a manager I told my staff that is they EVER page me with "911" (yes, pager.) that I'd better be the 2nd call after real 911. At home, of course, Spouse and I text that sort of thing back and forth all day! "Emergency... Dog1 is sweetly snoring atop my legs, would you please bring me a soda next you're up?"
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#2
AlienatedCheeseStick 1 year ago
Well the mama bear instinct isn’t for show! I get the feeling those of us that were really stupid as kids (myself included… still not always the most logical!) might not be here today if it weren’t for those motherly instincts lol!
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james stevenson 1 year ago
Me: *nervously* why do you ask? Mum: *creepily* Oh, no reason. go back to sleep.
Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago
I have a friend who periodically messages me just to ask "are you ok". On an intellectual level I know she's doing one of those mental health checkup things but on another my first reaction is "oh no what happened did my house explode while I was out"
While screen time often interferes with family life, for some, text messages have become a digital medium that helps parents communicate with their children. Though it is too one-dimensional for involved conversations, texting can give you a way to express yourself.
Amy Kossoff Smith said texting helps her get the attention of her three teenage sons, ages 13, 16, and 18. When she or her husband Mitch calls them to dinner from downstairs, they have two choices: “We can yell at the top of our lungs three to four times. Or we can pull our phones out and text them," Ms. Smith explained. "When we get into their zone, we usually get a much quicker response."
#3
Wilfredo 1 year ago
That is why it is important to use the proper words for describing things or events.
Ace 1 year ago (edited)
Yes, took me a moment to realise why they could have been upset. "Passed on" has been in use for decades, even "passed over" (to the other side, which I hate) has been normal usage for ever, but I think I must have blinked and missed the point at which "passed" on its own became common usage. Is it just in the US or have UK and other English-speaking folks accepted this as well now?
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#4
AlienatedCheeseStick 1 year ago
That’s kinda wholesome actually… idk why but I just think it’s kinda cute
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 1 year ago (edited)
Glad everyone was okay.. I woulda made sure mom had a CO detector after that....
#5
Fluffy mommy panda 1 year ago
But why mom...............no answer. Well s**t has hit the fan. C**p what do I do.
Philly Bob Squires 1 year ago (edited)
You do risk your life by walking on Mom's freshly mopped floors!
Like many parents, Ms. Smith finds it convenient to text from room to room within the house. Teens are already talking to their friends via text, making it easy for parents to communicate the same way.
Ms. Smith texts her sons with reminders that she's leaving on an errand in five minutes or that it is time to get ready for bed.
Her 13-year-old son, Noah, often texts her to get permission to go out with friends, Ms. Smith added.
#6
Fluffy mommy panda 1 year ago
Dang you would think these people would mention the facts. So we know which Shelley your talking about. Use good communication skills.
featherytoad 1 year ago (edited)
I moved out of my apartment and moved in with my fiance back in the 90's. My previous neighbors were an older couple that I had befriended and my fiance also got to know them. My fiance and I were laying in bed one night and my previous neighbor called and said that Bob had passed away (her husband). Well, Bob is also the name of my brother. After my fiance hung up, he relayed the message. I sat bolt upright and said, "What?". I couldn't believe my mom or whoever family member didn't want to talk to me and just told my fiance. Turns out it was my previous neighbors wife that called.
Comedy Clumbers 1 year ago
Jeeez... I'd prefer the vowel-less cryptic emoji-filled texts to some of these! "NO ONE IS IN YOUR MIND WITH YOU, Barbara! USE WORDS!"
#7
Fluffy mommy panda 1 year ago
Okay interesting and very weird. Could just be for rememberance of your family. And or if your mom or you or both you looked a lot like them. Or if there is famous people in the family.
#8
james stevenson 1 year ago
"Yeah we're taking heavy fire. You'll have to make yourself dinner. If we can just flank around to the AA turrets we should be home by about-(Stuka sirens and machine gun fire)TAKE THIS YOU *****- around 7:00. Okay love you bye! DIIIEEE!"
Fluffy mommy panda 1 year ago
10 mins later. " Mom I ant getting on that plane!" "Why" " I don't wanna die."
#9
Prius Owner 1 year ago
If you've ever been to Barstow CA, then you know that sometimes California can be a much worse place.
Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago
It's gonna be winter, but I guess you'll never know, 'cause in California it doesn't snow.
The mom draws the line at mealtimes: she bans phones at the table.
And it makes sense. The 8.6% of teens who text frequently during family meals tend to have poorer family communication overall, according to a study of 1,858 parents published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
#10
Jackson 1 year ago
My wife got that call. The helicopter I was on got a chip light (metal flake in the oil). The pilot radioed the Coast Guard that we were landing and that it would be too dark to fly by the time we checked the sensor. We lost radio contact before we landed because of the hills, so the message was not completed. The Coast Guard tried to phone and got a busy signal, so they wrote a note for the next shift. They called and told my employer that the helicopter had gone down. We were probably alright, but the radio cut out mid call. My employer phone my wife and said the copter's gone down in the bush. Don't know if they are alive or dead. Search and Rescue will look in the morning. Don't worry.
Fluffy mommy panda 1 year ago
I swear do they unknowingly do this. Or for some d**k sense of humor or joke.
Christopher Davis 1 year ago
I guess this is a universal mom thing. Things are never said in context. My mom starts in the middle of her sentence sometimes and expects me to follow...
#11
Panda Kicki 1 year ago
And did that make you less worried...? How did you find out it was her?
JayWantsACat 1 year ago (edited)
She probably mentioned it to her mom when they spoke or vice versa, or her mom brought it up with "did you get my article that I mailed?" or something, etc etc etc. There are a million common ways she could have found out her mother sent it.
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#12
Bozo B. Clown 1 year ago
Lol, I feel like one of my family would do that, and then my younger brother would actually call the authorities and take the joke too far.
Fluffy mommy panda 1 year ago
I've got say I might get c**p from this. But I can not stress how important that this is. It important for them to be afraid of people like that. Because if you don't take it seriously. Your child don't take it seriously. And you could be the next father or mother on unsolved mysteries or some other true crime stories. And no one wants to be that person. I know it kind of hard to explain it to a child. But it is very important. So they know the dangers and what to look for. And how to respond in these situations.
james stevenson 1 year ago
"hi dear, some girl got kidnapped in the neighborhood. You're net. 'kay byeee!
Keisha 1 year ago
Back in the 70's I think I was about 6-7 and we lived on a farm surrounded by other farms. So there were acres and acres between houses. My best friend and I would Plat between our two farms. A news alert came on TV about a little girl who was found murdered. She matched my description exactly.(I'm a natural redhead and back then I was the only redhead in our school system). Her mom and my grandmother were losing their minds thinking we were both murdered and my body was found and hers hadn't been yet. When we walked into my house they looked like they saw a ghost.
Isabella Austin 1 year ago
Horror story idea based on this : the mom was kidnapped and is texting the child as a warning but the child will be kidnapped next.
Avery August 1 year ago
Me: Mom are you saying that I am the one that you luv me and so if you didn't I would kidnap. Mom I am REALLY concerned about you like are you okay? Huh? Are you okay?
#13
Granny's Thoughts 1 year ago
This is why my sister and I have a code for when our mother dies- Ding Dong the Witch is Dead
Lene 1 year ago
When I was at boarding school my dad once left a voicemail on my phone since we were only allowed to have our phones turned on for certain hours per day. When I heard it it was hours since he made it and in the most serious voice a human has ever made he said: please call me as soon as you can. So I did and he said "your grandma is in the hospital... (my heart was falling apart a bit during this artistic break of his)... *my dad now with the most cheerful voice ever) she broke a piece of her neck off -but it's no big deal!" And he told me how she'd had a bad fall on a trip with her girl friends and she'd hurt her neck in such a way that a tiny piece of bone had come off. And she was not amused about being in a hospital since it's only for sick ppl.... 🙄 but for a little while I feared she was dead. Or close to.
Linda Riebel 1 year ago
I got a call from mom at my boyfriend's house, "Come home NOW." I raced across town in a frenzy of worry about my father's health. Turns out my brother was arrested for marijuana possession. I refrained from laughing out loud. Admittedly, his jail term got him out of Viet Nam....
According to Catherine Steiner-Adair, a clinical psychologist, school consultant, and author of 'The Big Disconnect,' a book on technology and family relationships, texting shouldn't be allowed to reduce face-to-face conversations or enable teens to avoid difficult issues.
She noted that painful, awkward, tough conversations between parent and child are where children learn so much about the relational dynamics that are a part of adulthood.
#15
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 1 year ago
Got some friends who use the term "Down and safe" when their plane lands. Nice.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the pilot speaking. Thank you for flying Bumpy Airways. As you disembark, please let the flight attendants know which landing you preferred.
#16
Panda Mona 1 year ago
Maybe she just meant the pure act of having texted something. This message. It is done. My mom texted me once (sms) with the question: "Hello. Is this an email?"
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 1 year ago
Granny completed a hit on the kid who let their dog do its business on their lawn...
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
Sounds like the messages I get from mum (and when she talks in person tbf) because she has ADHD and doesn't realise she hasn't said the first part out loud, or just that more context might be needed!
#17
Sunny Day 1 year ago
Friend's teen daughters were into horror movies, so she had a coworker call them and say "You have one week" and hang up.
Chelsea McKee 1 year ago
In a similar vein, I was online somewhere and received a popup saying "I like your white shirt..." Obviously I immediately slammed the laptop shut, I was like 16 and went running into my mom's room who, through tears, told me she told her friend what I was wearing and how to get in touch. I was absolutely mortified thinking strange people were peeping through the cam. I wasn't pleased.
However, Dr. Steiner-Adair also said that children of all ages have told her there were times when they’d started a really difficult conversation in a text because that was the only way they could find the courage.
So this modern means of communication can very well bridge some gaps between us. We just need to remember that misunderstandings and humorous exchanges will arise since every generation has its own habits of interacting.
#18
#19
Giraffy Window 1 year ago
Seems like OP could add whatever they wanted to that grocery list and see what comes home.
Me. Just Me. 1 year ago
You should text back crackers and see how long that conversation goes on.
Dread Pirate Roberts 1 year ago
Lol that would actually be really entertaining 😆 like hmm, I wonder what random word Mom's gonna send me today
EarthGrowl 1 year ago
I do this. Everyone gets their grocery list text back to them. I just check the text strands in the store.
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 1 year ago
CHEESE EMERGANCY!! 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀 Mum is out of cheese, that is a worrisome development!
#21
#22
Comedy Clumbers 1 year ago
And surely she'll be annoyed by all the resulting responder vehicles flashing their red lights and loud sirens up her driveway.
#23
volcanic_larva3 1 year ago (edited)
average autocorrect moment edit: i decided to make a question about this!: https://www.boredpanda.com/hey-pandas-what-was-the-most-random-word-you-autocorrect-generated/
#24
#25
Petra D. 1 year ago
My dad had cancer for 10 years. He and my mom had The bad habit of texting "we need to talk" or "call me" ir just my name. 10 years responding in panic Just to hear "oh no, everythings fine. We Just wanted to talk, or see The kids or whatever". Very anxiety inducing. Specially on his last months 🫠🥲
JayWantsACat 1 year ago
I literally had the same story and commented. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. If it makes you feel any better you're not alone in your experience...
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Yvonne Dauwalder Balsiger 1 year ago
My mom used to call me at work like 3 times in a row and then tell me in voice mail "call me immediately!" and then it was always something like "The weird tasting toothpaste that you used to hate as a kid is 10% off at Walmart if you buy 35 pieces. I just wanted to let you know!"
JayWantsACat 1 year ago
My dad does this s**t. "Call me" means he's either going to yell at me or actually needs to tell me something. It's a c**p shoot. Even now I get anxiety thinking about a text like that from him. It was infinitely worse when my mom was dying of cancer because I didn't know if it him going to yell at me, tell me something, or tell me my mom was dead. We've rarely contacted each other after she passed and my life has been better for it, sadly.
#26
#27
#28
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
It was probably a voice text.
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Stealthzilla 1 year ago
A friend of mine got into a really bad motorcycle accident a few days ago, he needs to learn how to use his fingers again, so yeah possibly
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#30
Susan Bosse 1 year ago
My mom STALKS us on 360. I made her a shirt that says "I stalk my family #Life360"!! She texted me early one Saturday and asked if we had electricity. Later when I woke up, I replied "yes," and asked why. She said "Your phone is on 9% battery and Will's (my son) is dead." Lady. We are ASLEEP!! That's just ONE story of many.
The Sassy Wife 1 year ago
My daughter stalks me too. "I see you're at the mall. Bath & Bodyworks again?!"... "That's not your usual route home"... "Really Mom, the pet store again?! We don't have pets" In my defence, I like to get treats for the neighbourhood dogs. Mostly it's all in good fun between her and I.
Verena 1 year ago
I could google this, but maybe some kind soul could explain what this is and why it is a necessary app (?) to have?
Allie Herz 1 year ago
My parents got it because in high school my brother had a habit of going out with friends and not picking up his phone. He would be gone for hours with no word on when he might be home. They would start calling friends to see if they were with him🤦🏼♀️
#31
#32
#33
VNES101 1 year ago
I always tell people "good luck with your life" when I'm breaking up with them. They hate it.
KillerKiwi 1 year ago
Me too. 😆 I told my last one “have a nice life”. He didn’t like that much
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#35
#36
#40
edward 1 year ago (edited)
According to random article i read on the internet, yes. Apparently those slack jawed wreckers-of-office-culture known to demographers as generation "z" generally eschew the use of emoji in their entirety (as something only loser boomer, gen x, and millennial types use), and on the rare occasion a gen z does use one, it is only with ironical intent.
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#42
#43
Ervin Conn 1 year ago
I like this one the best. Grandma can probably tell some really interesting stories. "It was a dark and stormy night...".
#46
#47
#55
Moosy Girl 1 year ago
I do that in real life, it’s not very effective. I smile while my brain is firing up conversation.exe and then people just smile back and turn around before I get to the speaking part.
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What do you think ?
wowbagger 1 year ago
Funny timing on this. My mom's texts are usually sensible, but very early this morning I got a text from her that just said, "The eyeball game The eyeball game". I'll have to ask her about it, but I'll wait till the sun rises and I've had some coffee.
Bozo B. Clown 1 year ago (edited)
The sun has risen in my part of the world. But who is up early enough to scroll BP before sunrise???
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Toasted Applesauce 1 year ago
Once I texted my mother that my team had lost our playoff spot by 1 place and she just responded "L".
Hey! 1 year ago
My husband was out of town, my mother came over (not related LOL) and my daughter gave up her bed. So the plan was for she and I to bunk in my bed. She said she would think about her options. I'm ready to go to bed so I text her and ask "are you sleeping with me tonight or not?" to which my husband's colleague responded "I know A is out of town but do you really want to do this?" LOL, he was one name up my daughter's. We both thought it was funny, then I forwarded the question to my daughter and she had decided to sleep at her friend's house but forgot to tell me.
Olli Hawk 1 year ago
Not really related but my mom texted me once asking if I snuck a cat home, I thought my sister went rebel- she sent a picture of this random dirty cat and when I got home it turns out it was my own cat who knocked over a jug of black paint on himself which made him look like a different cat 😭
AnaBanana 1 year ago
My mom texted me randomly one day during my lunch hour, which she never does. Then just casually says, "I'm at the hospital with your brother". Proceeds to not answer my texts or calls for the next 30 minutes while I'm freaking out wondering why my brother is in the hospital. Turns out he had broken 2 fingers at work and needed surgery on them and was unable to drive. Nothing too serious, but still.
2x4b523p 1 year ago
My mom had a habit of texting “we need to talk when you come over”, ususally 3-4 days before I was due to visit. Sleepless nights wondering who is dying and then it’s something totally insignificant, like she was decluttering and needs to ask me if she can bin some old t-shirt of mine I left behind when I moved out. I tried to explain over and over this is not good enough reason for “we need to talk” message. She only learned her lesson and tuned it down after she pulled this on my brother and he completly lost it, being stressed from work didn’t need extra nonsense to worry about and blocked her for months.
Sonia Bailey 1 year ago
Not a text but a phone call - my mum rung me early one Sunday morning, telling me 'Diana is dead'. I immediately think she is referring to my cousin, so, I'm 'OMG, what happened, are the kids ok? Poor Uncle Jimmy!! No. She was talking about the Princess of Wales...
wowbagger 1 year ago
Funny timing on this. My mom's texts are usually sensible, but very early this morning I got a text from her that just said, "The eyeball game The eyeball game". I'll have to ask her about it, but I'll wait till the sun rises and I've had some coffee.
Bozo B. Clown 1 year ago (edited)
The sun has risen in my part of the world. But who is up early enough to scroll BP before sunrise???
Load More Replies... Toasted Applesauce 1 year ago
Once I texted my mother that my team had lost our playoff spot by 1 place and she just responded "L".
Hey! 1 year ago
My husband was out of town, my mother came over (not related LOL) and my daughter gave up her bed. So the plan was for she and I to bunk in my bed. She said she would think about her options. I'm ready to go to bed so I text her and ask "are you sleeping with me tonight or not?" to which my husband's colleague responded "I know A is out of town but do you really want to do this?" LOL, he was one name up my daughter's. We both thought it was funny, then I forwarded the question to my daughter and she had decided to sleep at her friend's house but forgot to tell me.
Olli Hawk 1 year ago
Not really related but my mom texted me once asking if I snuck a cat home, I thought my sister went rebel- she sent a picture of this random dirty cat and when I got home it turns out it was my own cat who knocked over a jug of black paint on himself which made him look like a different cat 😭
AnaBanana 1 year ago
My mom texted me randomly one day during my lunch hour, which she never does. Then just casually says, "I'm at the hospital with your brother". Proceeds to not answer my texts or calls for the next 30 minutes while I'm freaking out wondering why my brother is in the hospital. Turns out he had broken 2 fingers at work and needed surgery on them and was unable to drive. Nothing too serious, but still.
2x4b523p 1 year ago
My mom had a habit of texting “we need to talk when you come over”, ususally 3-4 days before I was due to visit. Sleepless nights wondering who is dying and then it’s something totally insignificant, like she was decluttering and needs to ask me if she can bin some old t-shirt of mine I left behind when I moved out. I tried to explain over and over this is not good enough reason for “we need to talk” message. She only learned her lesson and tuned it down after she pulled this on my brother and he completly lost it, being stressed from work didn’t need extra nonsense to worry about and blocked her for months.
Sonia Bailey 1 year ago
Not a text but a phone call - my mum rung me early one Sunday morning, telling me 'Diana is dead'. I immediately think she is referring to my cousin, so, I'm 'OMG, what happened, are the kids ok? Poor Uncle Jimmy!! No. She was talking about the Princess of Wales...
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